Mrs. Winchester's Biographer by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Author:Deanna Lynn Sletten [Sletten, Deanna Lynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Deanna Lynn Sletten
Published: 2023-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

1918

Olivia paused her pencil over the notepad when Mrs. Winchester uttered those last words. The story was so sad she felt like crying, but she tried to remain professional for the older lady’s sake.

“My beloved William’s death was more than I could bear,” Mrs. Winchester said from where she sat on the settee across from Olivia. “I was completely lost. I let Jane plan his funeral, and my only request was that he, our daughter Annie, and I have our own family headstone and not be attached to the main family headstone.” She looked up at Olivia, her glazed expression clearing. “It sounds odd now that I was worried about such a menial thing. But I felt we’d been tied too closely to the family name in life and never had our own identity. At least in death, our little family of three would have our own spot together.”

Olivia watched the woman who still wore dark colors and Victorian-style dresses despite them having gone out of style. She still mourned her baby girl and her husband. And despite all that she’d accomplished, Mrs. Winchester would never get past those losses.

“I don’t think it sounds odd at all,” Olivia said. “Your little family deserved its own identity.”

Mrs. Winchester smiled at her. She was no longer self-conscious about her failing teeth around Olivia or her gnarled hands and twisted arms. Olivia took that as a compliment that Mrs. Winchester felt comfortable around her. But then, Olivia knew the older lady’s secrets just as Mrs. Winchester knew hers. They didn’t have to fool each other as to who they really were.

“I disappeared to the seashore for a while after William’s funeral,” Mrs. Winchester said. “I couldn’t bear to be in the house where he’d died or the town where I’d lost three people in one short year. The sound of the ocean waves helped soothe me, but I still felt the pain of William’s loss deeply.

When I returned to New Haven in June, I knew I needed to get away. Far away. So, I set out on a trip to Europe. Everyone thought I was crazy, going across the ocean alone. But I’d traveled there several times with William and Oliver, and we had so many connections and friends over there that I didn’t feel alone. In fact, I stayed away for a long time.”

“Did it help you?” Olivia asked, immersed in her story. She was still taking shorthand as Mrs. Winchester spoke.

“It helped a little for me to be in different locations and around other people. Although, I’ve never been much for socializing.” She grinned mischievously.

Olivia laughed lightly. “No. I suppose you haven’t.”

“You know, dear. If I had ever had an inclination to delve into spiritualism or talk to a medium or even join in on a séance, it would have been then. It was all the rage, and the upper class even thought it was respectable. But I didn’t search out any of those things. My faith told me that when we die, we die.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.